KARACHI: Former finance minister Abdul Hafeez Shaikh appeared in an accountability court of Karachi which granted him interim bail for submitting Rs100,000 surety bonds.
The court directed Abdul Hafeez Shaikh to join the probe and asked him to cooperate with the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in investigation. The court also issued notice to the NAB prosecutor and adjourned further hearing of the petition till May 28. It is to be noted here that a reference against Abdul Hafeez Shaikh and others is being heard in Accountability Court No 6.
They are accused of causing a loss of $11.125 million to the national exchequer, according to the NAB. They are also accused of irregularities in software development contract for Port Qasim and other ports.
Meanwhile, the Sindh High Court (SHC) granted pre-arrest bail to the leaders of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), preventing the police from arresting five MPAs for seven days. These MPAs include Khurram Sher Zaman, Firdous Shamim, Arsalan Taj, Jamal Siddiqui, and Aziz Jee. All of them have been ordered to appear in the trial court within seven days.
Similarly, Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Bilal Baig granted interim bail to PTI leaders including Jamshed Iqbal Cheema, Musarrat Jamshed Cheema and Hassan Niazi Advocate in the Lahore’s Liberty Chowk protest case till June 4.
The judge asked the accused to join the probe and also sought record from Gulberg police. After hearing of the case, the PTI leaders castigated the government and blamed it for implicating them in fake cases. Earlier, fearing arrests, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders have started approaching courts to seek protective bails.
Party leaders Ali Zaidi, Khurram Sher Zaman, Jamal Siddiqui, Firdaus Shamim Naqvi Arsalan Taj and others reached the Sindh High Court (SHC) on Friday and prayed to the court to bar the police from arresting them in connection with two cases registered against them in Ferozabad and Soldier Bazaar police stations of Karachi.
Similarly, PTI Karachi President and MPA Bilal Ghaffar also went to the SHC along with his counsel Abdul Majeed Khoso in connection with the hearing of his petition against the raid on his home and his arrest.